


Sweet Creature

by turquoisetopaz



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Pet Store
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26364016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turquoisetopaz/pseuds/turquoisetopaz
Summary: Based off this prompt I saw on tumblr:"I work at a pet shop and everyday you come in on your way to work and pet every single animal here you are the purest soul™ I’m so in love’ au."
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 95





	Sweet Creature

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! Not tried a Bellarke modern au, so thought I'd give it a go. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

-

Working at a pet shop was by far the best job Clarke Griffin has ever had.

Clarke was in her third year of art school. She'd been working part time jobs since high school. Whilst she could technically afford to get by without a job, she despised depending on her Mother, and was eager to take as little money from her as possible.

So, she'd bounced from job to job over the past few years. Working at a large department store had sucked, being a bartender had been exhausting. Clarke had assumed she'd never find a decent job that she'd enjoy, and would be flexible around her studies.

Yet six months ago, she had walked into a pet shop, and had fallen in love with the place. 

The only pet she could have at her place was a fish. She'd walked into the shop to buy fish food, and had walked out with a job. The owners were a friendly, middle aged couple, who had wanted an extra pair of hands to help, so that the two could take more days off together. Mr and Mrs Miller seemed to have taken a shine to her; and so offered her the job outright. So for the past sixth months, Clarke had worked at the shop every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

She opened up at 9am, and would close up at 5pm. The store tended to be steadily busy during the afternoons, and quiet in the morning and end of day. 

Most customers tended to be regulars. A man called Derek came in every week to buy a toy for his dog (who would destroy said toy within an hour. A Mother named Anna brought her daughter in regularly to buy cat food, and to stroke the kittens.

The best part of the store was the actual pets they housed. Throughout the year, the Millers would have litters of kittens and puppies, who would be sold to customers once they reached the appropriate age. The small animals were well cared for, and Clarke adored any chance she could spend with them.

So all in all, Clarke liked her job. Then, there came a day when Bellamy Blake showed up, and suddenly, Clarke loved her job.

-

It was a busy Saturday afternoon when he first showed up. Clarke was working the till, whilst Mr Roberts was on the shop floor, helping customers.

Clarke had looked up at the sound of the door opening. After what was a very late Friday night, Clarke had been feeling rather exhausted. Yet, when he walked in, she suddenly felt wide awake.

The first thing she noticed, was how tired he looked. Well okay, that was the second thing she noticed. Admittedly, the first thing she noticed was how attractive he was. He was tall, with tanned skin, and a litany of freckles across his face. He had wild dark curly hair, that she really wanted to run her hands through (it looked soft okay?.) He was dressed causally, in blue jeans and a grey t shirt. The t shirt fit disturbingly well; Clarke could see every outline of his well defined muscles. Personally, she thought he had no business being that handsome.

So upon seeing him, Clarke straightened up. She did her best to flatten her messy hair with her hands. She pulled at her un ironed outfit, in a desperate attempt to look more put together. Clarke knew she looked like a disaster, and normally this wouldn't bother her. However, this stupidly hot stranger was definitely someone she'd like to impress.

Mr Miller approached the stranger before he could walk to the till. The two men chatted briefly, before the stranger headed towards the puppy pen. She watched intently as the man picked up one of the golden retriever puppies the store cared for. He sat down on the ground, and began to play with the puppy.

Clarke felt herself groan in frustration at the sight. She pretty much had two weaknesses; hot people, and fluffy animals. So watching this stranger sort of felt like a fantasy come to life. In fact, Clarke was rather certain if she kept watching, she'd start to visibly drool. 

The guy sat with and stroked the puppy for about 20 minutes before taking off. He hadn't purchased anything, which left Clarke disappointed as it meant she'd not had the chance to speak to him. 

The weird part of the whole thing is that it keeps happening. Every Saturday the freckled man comes in to play with some of the animals, and he never seems to buy anything. Clarke really wants to know what his deal is. She considers asking Mr Miller, but decides against it. Him and his wife have been trying to set her up with someone since the day she started work. If she were to show interest in the guy, then they would be liable to meddle. 

He's adorable; to put it lightly. His whole face lights up whenever he sees the puppy's. He always tends to show up to the shop looking tired and overworked, like he'd had the longest week of his life. Yet the moment he lays eyes on the animals, his whole face lights up. 

For almost two months, she stares wistfully at the guy. Wanting to know his name. Wanting to know his story.

-

It's a quiet Tuesday afternoon when she finally gets the chance to speak with him.

She's working alone, Tuesday's never require a second pair of hands. She's half an hour away from closing up the shop, and all she can think about is her bed. However, once he walks in, she suddenly feels more awake than she'd had all day.

He walks in and heads straight toward the puppy pen, not even looking at her. The store is empty except for the two of them; she figures if she's ever going to talk to him that now would be the best time.

As usual, he's sat on the ground, this time with a puppy in his lap. The small fur ball he's holding is a female named Leia. (Yes Clarke had named her; yes she was a nerd.)

When she approaches he looks up at her and smiles; the sight definitely takes her breath away. She goes to speak but finds she has no idea what to say. 

"Erm... Can I help you?." He asks awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort.

"I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be my line." She replies dumbly.

"Sorry, I wasn't intending to steal your thunder."

"Apology accepted. Provided you tell me what your deal is?."

"My deal?" He asks, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"I don't get you. You keep coming into the store to see the animals, but you never buy anything."

"You been keeping an eye on me Princess?."

"Princess?."

He blushes at that, ducking his head awkwardly "Sorry, that just came out. It, uh, seemed to fit."

Clarke grins at this "I'm certainly not a Princess. My name is Clarke."

"I'm Bellamy." He says, and Clarke smiles happily. She'd been trying to guess his name for weeks. She'd not even been close with Bellamy, but it certainly suited him.

"So Bellamy." She says, sitting down on the floor, across from him. "You still need to answer my question."

"Ah, yes. My 'deal'. Well, I'm a teacher."

"You seem a little young."

"I'm 26." He says defensively.

"Oh so you're a little old."

"Funny. Do you wanna hear what I was going to say?."

"Continue. Please." Clarke says, trying not to sound too interested in him, she didn't want him to know how she'd become a little bit obsessed with him. 

"Like I said, I'm a teacher. A high school history teacher. And whilst I do like my job, it has to be said. Student are assholes."

"That is true. I am a student; we're all awful human beings."

"You really fucking are." He sighs. "I normally come in here at the end of the school week because this place calms me down. I love animals, but my landlord doesn't allow them. Mr Miller is my friends Dad, so he never seems to mind me coming in just to pet the animals."

"Dogs are known to lower blood pressure."

"I think I'd need a whole litter of puppies to lower my blood pressure."

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad can it? I'm sure the female students like you." She jokes.

"Don't get me started on that. And you're right; I do like my job. It's just at the moment I'm up for a promotion. I could become head of the humanities department. Which means the headteacher is on my case at the minute."

"So you're working extra hard." She finishes.

"Exactly." He groans. The noise startles Leia, who had been peacefully sleeping on his lap. The small puppy wriggles around, suddenly awake. She licks Bellamy's hand, and he grins widely. It seems to make his whole body relax.

"You know I was joking when I said you're old right? 26 is young. So being the head of department would be great; but you do realise it's not the end of the world if you didn't get it?."

"So you're telling me to relax?"

"Pretty much yeah. All you can is try your best. Don't overthink it."

"You know. That's not bad advice. You're kind of smart for someone who's still studying."

"Thanks. I took a philosophy class last year; so my advice is pretty amazing."

He lets out another laugh at that. "Did you pass the class with flying colours?."

"Actually I showed up to two lectures and barley managed to scrape a pass."

"Well I'm glad you're not my student."

Clarke resists the urge to tell him she would've gone to his class just to stare at him for an hour. It'd probably freak him out. 

Before she can continue their conversation, the doorbell rings. An elderly lady who's come in before walks in, and Clarke knows she'll need assistance.

"Duty calls." She says to him, trying to hide the disappointment from her voice.

"Well, thanks for the advice Clarke."

"Anytime."

-

It's not long before she sees him again.

It's early Thursday morning, and he's the first person to come into the shop.

It's 8.35am, and Clarke had been under the impression that she wouldn't have to interact with another human being for a least another hour. She's sat in the playpen with the kittens. There's only three left from the litter now, and two have been reserved. The three kittens she's sat with all seem perfectly happy to fall asleep on or near her, and she can't deny that this is her idea of heaven.

She's pretty close to falling asleep when he walks in. Unlike her, he seems wide awake and ready for the day. It's a welcome change from the usual exhausted manner in which she sees him in. 

To her distress; he's wearing a suit.

She actually rubs her eyes upon seeing him; just to make sure she is in fact, awake. The suit, a charcoal grey colour, looks ridiculously good on him. The white shirt flatters his tanned skin, and she's pretty sure he must have had it tailored, because the suit fits him like a damn glove. He looks like a model who's gotten lost on his way to a fashion show. Clarke laments how unfair it is that he can look so good at such an early hour.

She, on the other hand, is wearing her biggest, cosiest knitted jumper. It used to be her dads, and looks like it was made in the 80s. A lot of her clothes tend to scream "grandfather chic" but this is probably the worst. Add on the fact that her hair hasn't been washed in a week, and also how she couldn't be bothered to put makeup on this morning, and Clarke knows she must look like a mess.

"Morning Clarke." He smiles at her, and she wants to roll her eyes, because of course he's a freaking morning person. 

"Morning" She mumbles back, with a whole lot less enthusiasm. She's pissed off that the universe has sent her crush to see her at such an early hour, whilst looking like a complete disaster.

"Not a morning person?" He guesses, the same smile still on his face.

"It's unnatural to be so chipper at this time."

"You'd also be chipper if you'd consumed three large cold brews since 6:30am."

That gets a laugh out of her. "You're right I would be. Can I ask why you've drank that much coffee? and also I'd like to know what you're doing here at this ungodly hour."

Bellamy grimaces at her question, he enters the playpen and sits down across from her before answering. "I have a meeting with my boss at 10am. Therefore," he sighs, picking up the tiny black kitten and placing her on his lap "kittens."

"Ah I see." She nods, heart melting at the sight of him with the adorable creature "Trying to soak up some serotonin before your boss puts you through the ringer."

"Exactly." 

"Well you've come to the right place. And you've also picked the cutest animal in here."

"Are you allowed favourites?"

"That's Nova. She's the only one of the litter who hasn't been sold yet. Even though she's by far the cutest."

"She is pretty adorable. If my landlord wasn't an asshole, I'd definitely take her home."

"My roommate Raven has a cat allergy, so I can't bring her home either."

"You should kick Raven out."

Clarke giggles at that, "Well I would, but she inherited the place from her Grandmother, so I can't imagine she'd be happy to leave."

Bellamy sighs and cuddles the cat "Well Nova, we'll have to find someone else to take you home."

"Think your boss would accept her as a form of bribery?."

"Not sure, she doesn't seem like a cat person. She seems like the type of person who'd have a pet snake."

"Wow. That bad huh?"

"Oh yeah. She's terrifying. That's why I'm wearing this money suit." He laughs, gesturing to his outfit. "I mean, I look ridiculous right?."

"You look..." Hot, beautiful, annoyingly handsome "very professional."

"That's what I was going for. So thanks." When he smiles she can see his dimples, and she's stuck with the odd urge to try and see if her little finger would fit in the space.

They chat for a while and Clarke finds out more information about him; she does her best to remember it all. He talks about his younger sister Octavia, and her long time boyfriend Lincoln. He tells her the story of how he met Miller; he recounts her with stories of his students.

It feels like they only speak for five minutes, but before she knows it, it's 9:45am. "Look at the time!" She exclaims, "You need to go!."

"Shit!" He laughs "Where did the time go? Thanks for the chat Clarke, I'll see you around."

She watches him leave; Nova climbs back onto her lap once he's gone. Nova whines quietly at his absence. "Yeah." She sighs, looking down at the fluffy kitten "I like him too."

-

She doesn't see him for a week after that, and she spends more time than she'd like to admit thinking about him.

On her days at work, she finds herself looking up at the door whenever a new customer comes in, and she's always disappointed to see it's not him. And her behaviour is clearly obvious.

"What's got you acting so skittish?" Mrs Miller asks.

"Oh nothing." She lies "End of year exams are coming up, so I've not gotten much sleep."

"Really? Sure it's nothing to do with a certain handsome teacher?"

"I have no clue what you're talking about." She deadpans. 

"Sure thing sweetheart. I'll just ignore how you bat your eyes at Bellamy whenever he comes in."

"Mrs Miller! I don't bat my eyes at anyone!."

"Clarke dear, I'm not blind. Having a crush on a cute boy is nothing to be embarrassed by."

At this Clarke giggles and admits defeat "Yeah, he is cute."

-

When she finally sees him, it's at the end of what had been an unfortunately long Tuesday shift.

"Are you closed?" He asks upon arrival.

She looks up and gives him an exhausted smile. "I'm closing up now, but I don't mind if you wanna hang out with Nova whilst I clean."

"Are you sure? No offence, but you look, kinda tired."

"No offence taken, you're right, I am tired. But I don't mind your company."

Bellamy smiles at this and goes to sit with Nova. 

"So, did you wanna talk about it?."

"Not much to say. My professor is an asshole, he's giving out assignment upon assignment even though our end of year exam is in two weeks. And I thought that today I'd be able to work on an assignment today because Tuesday's are normally quiet. But for some reason it's just been customer after customer."

"Well that sounds rough." 

"That's an understatement. Can I assume your day was just as bad?"

"Not as bad, but not too good."

"Dare I ask?."

"The meeting with my boss I had last week hadn't gone as well as I'd hoped. I've spent all week doing extra prep with students for the final exams."

"I think what I'm learning from our conversations Bellamy is that school sucks for teachers and students."

"That it does."

"So how long before you find out about your new gig?."

For a reason she doesn't quite understand, Bellamy shifts uncomfortably. "Oh, it probably won't be for a while."

"Does that mean I won't be able to get rid of you for a while?" She teases.

"I'm afraid not, I'm just going to get even more annoying as the weeks go by, and I'll be here more than ever."

At this, a wide grin breaks out across her face "I don't mind."

-

Bellamy sticks to his promise, and comes by the shop during every one of her shifts over the next few weeks.

It's always, without fail, the best part of her day. He tends to sit with Nova most days, as the poor kitten still hasn't found a home. Clarke has asked every one of her friends, but none have been able to take her in.

She'll chat with him when she has time, and she loves each moment. Her crush is slowly turning into full blown feelings. She keeps trying to work up the courage to ask him out, but every time she tries, she ends up backing out last minute. She's aware it's pathetic. They're both adults, she's 23 years old for crying out loud, and she's acting like she's still in middle school.

She's pretty sure that when she flirts with him, he's flirting back. He smiles at her all the time, and laughs at her shitty jokes. He asks her about her day, and seems genuine when he asks to look through her sketchbook. She knows he comes to the shop to see the animals, specifically Nova, but she's pretty sure he's also coming in to see her. He hasn't mentioned having a girlfriend, and she likes to think he'd say yes if she were to ask him for a drink. But she's not had feelings for anyone in a while, and it's a little out of her comfort zone.

Things take a turn one day, when Miller stops by.

"Hey Nate!" She greets him happily "Not seen you in a while."

"Med school keeps me busy."

"I can only imagine. How've you been?."

"Pretty good. Just moved in with Monty."

"That's great" She exclaims, the two had been dating for a couple years. She didn't know the two of them that well, but it was easy to see they were perfect for each other.

"Thanks. We're really excited about it."

"Any chance you'd be interested in a cat as a house warming gift?" She asks, thinking about Nova.

"Monty works as nurse, both of us live at that hospital. Don't think it'd be fair to a cat."

"Yeah I hear you."

"It's funny that you said that. My friend Bellamy said something similar."

"He did? Glad to hear he's keeping his promise, he'd sworn to help me find a home for Nova."

"Wait you know Bellamy?."

"Yeah, I mean, your parents must have mentioned he comes into the store."

"Well yeah, they mentioned it. But I didn't think he came in that often that you two were like, friends."

"He comes in a lot to see the animals, and Nova is his favourite. I think it helps him deal with stress."

"Sounds about right. My friend likes to stress, what's his latest obsession?."

"He says it's work stress, said he's up for a promotion."

"The head of humanities gig? I knew it had him stressed, but he got that job last month."

Clarke freezes at this. Whenever she's brought it up with him recently, he's brushed it off, and said he's still waiting on the news. 

How come he hadn't told her the good news?

-

Clarke spends the rest of her shift agonising over what Miller had told her.

What did it mean? Had Bellamy simply forgotten to tell her the good news? Or did he have a reason for hiding it from her?.

What seemed the most obvious answer to her was that she simply wasn't as important to him as she'd hoped. Over the past few months, she'd thought the two had become friends, or at least, more than acquaintances.

It's disheartening to say the least. She'd been closer than ever to finally asking him out. But knowing he hadn't been bothered to mention his promotion to her makes her feel confused on where they stand. It felt like her crush wasn't requited. 

Still, when he shows up a few days later, she tries her best to put on a brave face. 

"Afternoon Clarke!" He smiles at her upon arrival. "Nova still here?."

"Unfortunately yes. Still no luck finding her a home. Craziest thing really, normally we have no trouble selling kittens."

"Well I might have some good news on that front."

"Really?" She asks, perking up instantly "You've found someone who wants her?"

"That I have. Wanna guess?"

"Well I saw Miller a few days ago and he doesn't want her, so I'm out of guesses."

"It's me!" He says excitedly, practically bouncing on his feet.

"Seriously?! But what about..."

"My asshole landlord? Won't be a problem given that I just put a downpayment on a house."

"That's amazing! I can't believe that! Nova can go home with you?"

"In two weeks, if that's alright with the Millers. The payment went through this morning, so I need some time to move some stuff in before I can take in a cat."

"Wow!" She squeals, happy to no longer need to worry about Nova having a home. "That really is great news."

"Thanks Clarke. I hope you won't be too sad that I'm taking Nova from you."

"No I'm relived, really. And I'm glad to hear that your promotion pays well."

"Well that, plus I've been saving for a while and..." He slows as he realised what she's said. "I'm guessing Miller mentioned I got the promotion?."

"He did." She replies, trying not to sound bitter "He also mentioned you got it a month ago."

"Oh" He says uncomfortably, "Look Clarke..."

"Why'd didn't you tell me? I thought we were sort of friends."

"We are! I like you Clarke and I do think of you as a friend."

"So how come you didn't tell me about the promotion? Every time I've asked recently, you just brushed it off." She questions him, feeling more confused than ever.

"I just... I liked having an excuse to come in here a lot. I thought that if you knew I wasn't stressed at work, you'd wonder why I kept coming in here."

"And if you're not here because of work stress...?" She trails off, looking up at him hopefully.

He blushes and averts his gaze from her. "Well, these past few months, I've just... I've been trying to figure out how to ask you out."

"Really?" She laughs.

"It's not that funny is it?" He asks, looking embarrassed."

"No! No" She says quickly, "I was laughing because, well, that's what I've been trying to do."

"Ah." He says, joining in with her laughter "So we're both idiots then?."

"I think so." She replies; her smile so wide it takes up most of her face.

"Well now that we've established that. Clarke, any chance I could take you out for dinner one night?."

Clarke feels positively giddy at his question "Well, given that you're adopting Nova, and she is the cutest kitten I've ever seen, I don't really have any choice but to say yes."

"I'm flattered."

"I'm kidding! Of course I want to go for dinner with you."

"Well then!" He grins, once again bouncing on his heels "I suppose I must get going!" He hands her a small card with his number on before taking off towards the door.

"Where are you going?" She laughs at his burst of energy.

He pauses at the door to shoot her a mischevious grin. "To plan the best date you'll ever go on!"

**Author's Note:**

> Probably not my best fic, but I had fun writing it, so I don't care
> 
> Comments and Kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> Come say hi to me on [Tumblr](https://turquoisetopazz.tumblr.com)  
> 


End file.
